


Genesis

by RavennaNightcrown



Category: Evillious Chronicles
Genre: Brainwashing, Delusions, Error clues if you squint really really really hard, F/M, Gen, Headcanon, Hypnosis, Manipulation, Multi, Murder, POV and writing style may vary for each, Religious Persecution, but still Eve-centric, may also contain stuff from other acts, might get darker tbh, some dark themes that I don't know how to tag, whatever happens in OSS Act 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2019-08-25 12:46:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 12,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16661377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavennaNightcrown/pseuds/RavennaNightcrown
Summary: Even when looking at the same sky, we do not see the same stars. But always, they will tell of the story of a witch, a scientist, and a snake.Independent ficlets born out of various OSS Act 1 headcanons of mine, including some AUs on the EC Discord server. Eve Zvezda-centric, mostly.





	1. Not A Witch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Katadenza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katadenza/gifts).



> I am working on Error, I swear. It's just that I have a lot of uni stuff and with a possible OSS novel next year, I feel more motivated on churning out OSS headcanons.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the crime in the forest, there came contrition.

"No, no no no no, NO! It wasn't— I, I never— I didn't mean it! I am not a murderer. Father, what you saw, it wasn't... it was an accident, I swear," I kept on whispering my apologies—my excuses—to the forest, but the forest didn’t respond. Even the moon above had hidden its light behind a dark cloud. "That wasn't me... It wasn't me, it wasn't me." My prayers, my pleas of mercy  ~~they were claims of denial and blame,~~ only melted into the silence. I didn't want to believe it, but I knew what the silence of the forest meant: God himself has abandoned me.   
  
"What would your beloved Adam say?" the bear taunted. He would call me that ugly word again, and again and again and the Senate and everyone will throw stones again and I will— But Adam wouldn't listen to a bear! A bear couldn't talk, especially a bear that is—   
  
"No, you are already dead!" Because of me I did it I did I did I killed someone I killed—    
  
The bear laughed. The moon had gone out from its hiding place now. The bear kept on laughing, baring its ugly teeth that were bloodstained. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry— "You and me, we are just the same."   
  
That can't be, that can't be no no no the Senate was wrong, they were all wrong, all of them.  " **I AM NOT A WITCH.** " 


	2. Unwelcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before she met the gods, the day before she became mother, she became a witch.

"Eve, I need to go back to the lab to fix some things before your procedure tomorrow. Will you be alright here?"

"Of course," she told him. Tomorrow, the Seeds of God will be placed in her womb. In 9 months, she will give birth to the Magic Kingdom's salvation and be their Queen. Adam was the one in charge of the project, and she trusted Adam. He will make sure of its success. And she loved him. She was sure that he will love her back, too, in time.

"I'll be leaving then, keep the door locked. I have my key."

"Wait!" She held on to his sleeve tightly just before he could go through the apartment's door. _Please don’t leave me here. Please don’t go_. Eve had said neither, and bowed her head so that Adam wouldn’t see her face. "Please be safe."

Adam chuckled. "I will," he promised, and kissed her forehead. He then went to pull down the curtains over the apartment's sole window, and went out making sure the door was locked from the inside.

Eve stared at the locked door, wanting to imprint its image in her memory. She looked around Adam's small apartment. There was only one bed, a sink, a bathroom, and a small dining table meant to be used by only one person. The apartment was brightly lit, and the lighting further emphasized its shabbiness by making the peeling ecru paint all the more noticeable. It felt so dead. Even though the Magic Kingdom's air crackled with magic comparable to that of Nemu, the atmosphere never felt alive. It was as if there are no gods or spirits wandering around. Everything felt sanitized, cleansed, purged. She could use her magic freely in this country unlike in Nemu, but still she refrained as much as she can because it was impure, that it was malicious, that it was evil.

Tomorrow, she will be moving to the Royal Institute to be placed under constant monitoring after the procedure. She didn't like the laboratories the first time she stepped into one. Of all the places in the Magic Kingdom, the labs were the most dead. They reeked of bleach and sacrilege and death. No magic, none at all, charged the air. Just thinking that she would have and give birth to her children there made her feel nauseous.

The sound of breaking glass startled Eve. And then another. She ran and hid behind the dining table, toppling it over with her magic upon instinct. Adam's window was probably destroyed by now, and his door would be littered with scratches and markings and other horrible things that polluted the hearts of the people in this country. "Get out! GET OUT! Go away, you heretic," the voices from outside yelled. She was already planning how to fix the apartment before Adam came back, should she just hypnotize him first and then fix the window and door while he wasn’t looking? Oh, she needed to throw out the stones, too. " **WITCH.** An evil woman like you can never give birth to the gods! Get out of here, we don't want you."

 _Is it really that wrong for someone like me to be here?_ They were all followers of Levin, weren't they? She just happened to pray to a different god, one that was not a two-headed dragon. Eve rubbed her eyes to get rid of the blurriness in her vision, and her hands came away damp. Her warm tears had then begun to fall down onto her dress in soft drops. "Adam, please return soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Katadenza for the headcanon that Adam lives in an apartment.


	3. The Woman and The Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five hundred years after creation, they meet in a different garden.

He saw her waiting in the lobby of the Royal Institute, serenely illuminated by the harsh lighting characteristic of the capital, Eden's many laboratories. Her green hair was tied up in familiar twin tails, and she was clothed in an immaculate white dress, very much unlike the bloodstained fabrics he was more familiar with. “Eve?”

The woman sitting there flinched, and turned to look at him slowly. “I’m sorry. Do we know each other?”

He saw the sincere confusion in her bright eyes looking up at his, and he felt anger bubbling within. “Tch.” _She doesn’t remember_.

“Is something wrong, mister?” she implored. She had been always like that, too emotionally sensitive, constantly worrying over the feelings of everyone around her. “Are you alright?”

He forced a smile. “No, it’s nothing.”  He saw her countenance slightly contort in disbelief, a familiar shift. He was surprised he still had that skill after centuries, when it was oh so long ago that he had to learn every micro-expression; after all, she was a master of manipulation. “I’m not feeling very well today, so I must have said things before I could think of them.” An intentionally awkward-sounding chuckle escaped him. He, too, was a master of deceit. “Apologies, miss, I must have frightened you.”

Her expression then relaxed, taking the bait. “Ah, it’s fine. You must have mistaken me for someone else, or… I guess you were put off?” She stood so that they could see eye to eye, and stepped slightly farther away from him. _Why is she so guarded?_ “I’m new here, and I’ve observed that my race is not really a common sight in the Magic Kingdom,” she paused, and then averted her eyes, “I’m still adjusting to things, and I guess everyone is, too.”

“You just moved here?” Someone from Heldogort suddenly immigrating into Levianta, it was unheard of, and if there were any cases as precedent, he figured that it was heavily frowned upon, if not downright prohibited. Held, the old man, what would he have thought of this? His people persecuted just because they saw a tree more appealing than a two-headed dragon… “Ahem,” he cleared his throat to hide the laugh that threatened to escape because of that line of thought. He wondered how the golden twins would react if they could read his mind. That musing could wait, he decided, more pressing matters were at hand: the fact that she had responded to him, and the possibility of him being right that was becoming greater by the second. That he was not the only one who had incarnated as a human in the Third Period. _Held… is this your way of making things right with your daughter?_ But unfortunately for the old Master of the Court, not even the gods have the power to remove Malice from spirit data.

“I just moved in with Adam,” she clarified in a small voice.

“Adam?” _Maria’s bastard son?_

Her face lit up. “Yes! He is my…” She covered her face as it was tinted in a furious blush. _What the hell did you do, Moonlit._ “Mr. Moonlit is a very wonderful scientist,” she managed to squeak out. A few deep breaths later, she had piped up again, “Your clothes! You must be a scientist, too! Do you know him?”

“I do. I know him very well.” He hadn’t expected Adam’s revenge to begin so soon.

“That’s great! I know one of Adam’s friends!” she squealed in childish elation. “I was a bit nervous to wait here alone in the lab. I was waiting for Adam, you see.” He felt a tiny bit relieved that she was still as animated as ever. Just as she was back then, when she had lovingly narrated how she murdered one of the crewmembers in between hysterical laughs, all in order to cover up the truth, and for her own satisfaction. “He’s been very busy lately, but I know it can’t be helped. I was chosen to be a candidate for the project, and I’m going to be tested again tomorrow.”

“ _You_ are the candidate for the project?!” he couldn’t help but exclaim. To think that _she_ was Adam’s controversial lover, the heretic witch brought in by the royal bastard to be the mother of the gods. _Damn you and your stupidity and your rashness, Moonlit._

“Yes!” she confirmed cheerily, totally unaware of the danger her lover had put her in.

“I see,” he replied flatly. “I am also working on the same project as Adam, so I guess I will be seeing you around then.” He turned his back on her and prepared to return into the clinical coldness of the labs. _Adam, you will pay for this._

A strong tug on the sleeve of his lab uniform stopped him from leaving. “Wait!” When he looked back at her, her hand had moved to grab at his hand instead. She still radiated a warmth and softness the same as from before five hundred years ago, which had remained constant even when she was being violated by the same disease that plagued him, _that saved him_. “Haven’t we met before?”

“I don’t think so,” he lied.

“I swear, you seem very familiar. Are you sure?” By now, her eyes had begun to join her voice in her pleading.

“I am very sure.”

“Then, maybe your name, Mr.?”

“Seth Twiright.”

“Seth Twiright,” she repeated. “Seth.” Even now, his name still resounds enticingly from her lips. “Ah! I forgot to introduce myself!” She looked at their joined hands, and flushed. “Oh no, this is so embarrassing.” She quickly let go of his hand, opting to clasp her own fingers together. “My name is Eve.” _I know._ “Eve Zvezda.”

He couldn’t help a smirk from breaking out on his face. “See you tomorrow, Ms. Eve Zvezda.” _Or should I say, Eve Yggdra?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I headcanon that the Magic Kingdom Levianta's capital is Eden


	4. Broken Vows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the next turn of the Merry-Go-Round, a thousand-year old vow exchanged between two hearts wasn't kept.

He gave her flowers, sweets, jewels, the old tricks. And then as before, he finished it off with Venom. But this time, she was adamant on refusing him. Loving him again would bring suffering: to her, to him, and to her unborn children—the children that will never be conceived because of her sacrifice.

* * *

"When everything's over with, let's have our marriage ceremony in our favorite, Held's Forest," he said as if from the gods' script.

Every fiber of her being, her soul, screamed _'yes'_ , because she loved him so much; the blurred memory of being apart for almost a millennium a dull permanent ache. "No, I cannot marry you."

The story cannot go the same way again. She was still too weak to refuse her husband in Nemu. But now Cain and Abel were here in her womb once again, and she wished that maybe, just maybe, it's not too late to change the direction of the gears.

Adam's eyes filled with some tears, and she waved it off as a trick of the moonlight. If this man was really her husband from one thousand years ago, he should— he would have tried to change the course of fate. Yet here they were again, trapped by the machinations of gods not supposed to exist.

_There was a fearful thought in the darkest corner of her sanity: she loves this man. This man that was most likely not her Adam? What would her husband say, if he was out there somewhere? That she fell for a fake that resembles him?_

"Eve..." This man definitely cannot be her Adam. He mustn't be. Then again, if he wasn't, did the re_birthday separate them forevermore? She turned to go, if she stayed any longer she would change her mind. She hoped that he wasn't the one she had loved; her heart wouldn't be able to bear the guilt of destroying the one who waited for her for almost a thousand years.

She wanted to tell him, _'I am not the Eve that you love'_ , but she couldn't do that to this man who doesn't remember. _No, he couldn't remember because it isn't him_ , her mind insisted.

_Something more terrifying surfaced, and she desperately buried the poisonous thought in her subconscious. She cannot falter again, for what are the chances that_ this _Adam is the same one she loved? That he is once again reaching out in the way he knew? Naively thinking that she doesn't remember, and that it was only Venom binding them?_

"I'm sorry."

_I love you_ , the words that would never be said.

In this world after the re_birthday, the world created out of an imperfect wish fulfillment, she chose to let him go. So that the original sin story wouldn't be written.

 


	5. The Eternal Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of a magic kingdom's fall by lightning storm, a different chrono story begins.

“Child, what had happened to you?”

She could only grit out a response, “ _ They  _ did this to me. Levianta did.”

In the heart of Held’s Forest resided a god, one which Eve—former Queen of the ruined Magic Kingdom—turned her back on. All for a shot of glory, of happiness,  _ of love _ . Now she found herself once again in the care of the forest the Zvezdas have long worshipped.  “You will always be welcome in my forest,” the god of the earth proffered. However, it was no longer an option that held any value to the witch.

“That is not what I want!” Eve took off her tattered cloak, showing the god her wrinkled and sickly visage. A chorus of shocked chirping and various animal sounds shook the forest.  _ I look ugly, no need to tell me that. _ “I need your help. I need your  _ power _ ,” she enunciated, snapping her too thin fingers which barely even sparked a flash of lightning. She was the most powerful witch of her time, her current state was most embarrassing, and here she was begging Held for assistance, for intervention. But she wouldn’t bow or kneel to him, she would  _ never  _ look up to any other god.

“Your body…” A black bird flew into the vicinity and perched onto one of the god’s nearby branches, and squawked something. “Hmmm… the mistakes of the past…” The tree’s face contorted into confusion and unease, before relaxing as if in resignation. “One of my spirits, Lich, the one in the form of a Black Rollam bird,” Held explained, and said bird flew to land on her bony shoulder, “is willing to make you a mud body. On some conditions.”

“A mud body will crumble! I need something more powerful, I need  _ time, I need all the time it takes _ to bring my wish to reality.”

“Are you asking for immortality?”

“Exactly. Finally you get it, you stupid tree.” His spirits, in their animal forms, weren’t capable of human speech but she could almost hear their shocked gasps. The black bird on the other hand, seemed thoroughly amused.

“Some things, child, we cannot grant. Humans must not ask for more than they were given.”

“GIVEN?! Everything was taken from me: my children, my husband, my freedom, my happiness—even my soul! My magic!  _ They _ took everything from me, and you—YOU who claim to care about us but never came to our rescue when those oh-so-virtuous Leviantans persecuted us cannot even grant me this simple request?”

“Immortality is not a simple request. It is not written in the rules of the world.”

“We Zvezdas have served you for centuries, we accepted exclusion for you… Is this just really too much to ask?” she croaked out, even her voice is starting to fail her, and soon it might be her sight. Her magic and her life had been stolen when the gods split her into seven and one, if it wasn’t through a twice-casted body swap, she would have been gone and trapped for good. “I am the last Zvezda. They killed my entire clan when they found out I was to escape with my children.”

“Levia and Behemo… to think they would have caused this much trouble…”

The black bird squawked again, and a glittering eye made contact with Eve’s. “I will help you,” it said.

_ How? _

“I made you understand me. Call me Lich.”

_ What do you propose? _

“I will make you a body of your choosing, one that will not age and deteriorate, just take me and Eater with you. He’s the bear over there.” A bear waved at her with its clawed paws. “You are a witch, you must know how to incarnate us into human forms?”

_ I do. But how do I know that you can create such a body? And you must be aware that incarnation erases memories. _

It laughed at her. “You, of course, will force Held to lend us his magic to solve those problems. Tell him you’d stop Levia and Behemo for him while you’re on your way to realize your wish…”

To realize her wish… she needed her magic back. And for that, she needed to get her fragments back, to be whole again, and then maybe… the four of them could be together once more. But it was time she needed most of all.  _ I accept. _ “Held, I propose something.”

“What is it?”

“Make my new mud body immortal, and then I will deal with the two dragons in your stead.” Lich conversed with Held once again, now in animal gibberish. Still, she wondered, would gaining her magic back grant her wish? She wasn’t able to bring it to reality before she was split, was it really possible for her even then? An unwanted thought crossed her mind, what if the Senate and the people were correct? What if she wasn’t even the best? After all, she—Eve Zvezda, they never permitted her and Adam to marry for the Queen must always be pure—who gave birth to the twin gods, ruled over the most powerful country as the most powerful witch and queen, and then singlehandedly razed said kingdom couldn’t even bring back the life of a single man. But then… with the children— _ no!  _ The cursed brats were no longer her beloved twins.

Held’s gravelly voice boomed, “I agree to this bargain. However, Lich and Eater will always and at all costs accompany you. Understood?”

“Yes.” One of the conditions was to deal with the twin Masters, and that might not be so bad after all. She could utilize their power once she has bound them, but that would be a future problem. And if there still was anything left of Cain and Abel for her to save, then maybe, just maybe, the four of them could be together once more.   
  


When Eve woke up, she found herself lying down in a clearing by a pristine lake, rejuvenated. Looking around, she surmised that she was in the forest’s Lake of Amusement. A man with pale hair and pale skin then approached her, someone definitely not human, for she felt a certain aura from him. “I am called Lich, my lady.”  _ Ah, yes. _ She had incarnated the two spirits right before she swapped into the mud body. The toll of using up most of her very few magic reserves had finally taken its toll on her previous sleep-deprived weakened body. “You may look at yourself in the water’s reflection.”

She did as he instructed and saw a different woman looking back. Gone were the locks of teal hair that marked those of the Zvezda family, as were the sparkling teal eyes that her beloved had last looked into. Gone was Eve Zvezda, the greatest magic user of Nemu, former Queen of the Magic Kingdom Levianta, mother of the twin gods. What the water reflected was a young adult woman, with snow white hair and red eyes. “You will call me Eve Moonlit.”

“What exactly are these Vessels you are looking for?”

“Seven things each containing a fragment of my soul. And my magic. I need them to become whole again.”

“They should exude magic power then?”

“Ideally, yes. Very strong magic. If I remember correctly, they split me into a doll, a key, two blades, a glass, a mirror, a swor—”

“By chance is that sword of a strange design with a tint of purple?”

“Why, yes. I think so.”

Lich glanced back at the treeline. “Eater saw two blonde teenagers and a blue-haired man pass by the forest’s edge, with a purple sword in their possession.”

_ A blue-haired man.  _ “NO!” It couldn’t be. He was dead, dead,  _ dead.  _ “It couldn’t be.” She had cradled his cold and blood-soaked body in the secret darkness of Levianta’s dungeons, using all of her magic and tears to make that kind and delicate heart beat once more. But she was too late. The supposedly live telecast she caught while trying to convince the children to leave the temple was a recording, his public execution for the ridiculous charge of defiling her already done and broadcasted hours before.

“Is there a problem? I’m quite sure that the teenagers are Levia and Behemo. The blue one, I’m not sure.”

“Nothing. We’ll go after them and eliminate the third one.” Eve bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. How dare  _ they _ desecrate his memory?! She had burned the country to the ground in rage, for how could they take away one of the very few lives she held precious? That man was surely an illusion, an impostor. Adam would never align himself with the gods who ruined his family. This world who took everything from her was an enemy, she needn’t to concern herself with cheap tricks capitalizing on sentimentality. Because there was one truth she was sure of: _ her husband was already dead. _


	6. Before the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years before the magic kingdom's destruction, the Queen lived in a farce of power and worship: a lonely woman at the top of the world, never to be called mother, never taken as wife, a rebellious puppet of the Senate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is in the same continuity as the previous chapter I posted.

The Queen’s life was a farce. Everything was still as ceremonial as ever, and Adam was right. The Senate wouldn’t just give up power even in light of the prophecy’s fulfillment. After all, this Queen will always be a heretic witch in their eyes, even though the populace hailed her as a pure woman from the heathen land of Heldogort.

“ Your Majesty , your meal is ready,” a servant said.

“Thank you.” It was a lonely dinner, Eve seated alone at the head of a long table. Cain and Abel weren’t even here by her side, they were supposed to be sleeping already, the Senate had said. Tasteless meat and grape wine, purified in the temple. Any company would have sufficed, but that wasn’t possible. Adam was drowned in work, while the last time she invited a servant to dine with her, the guards had swiftly executed them.

After dinner, she would have to go back to the temple to pray to unfamiliar dragon gods, and then sleep and wake at dawn. Day by day went like a merry-go-round: prayer at dawn, being present and ignored in the Senate meeting after, a farcical audience with the people until noon, prayer in the mid-afternoon, parade until dusk, and so on… There were some irregularities, all orchestrated by the Senate—sometimes she was able to visit orphanages, the laboratories, but never her children. It must have been a year since.

Tonight, she decided to break it. Approaching a cowering servant, she whispered, “Tell Adam Moonlit that the Queen requests for his presence in the the old garden.”

.

“Eve, this is dangerous,” Adam muttered, and yet he embraced her tighter than ever, the cold Leviantan night forgotten for a moment.

“I know,” she replied, and kissed him into silence. It was very unfair. She was the queen of this country, savior of Levianta, mother of the gods, and she was the most powerless entity in it—unable to marry, unable to be mother, a puppet of the Senate.

“They are going to see.” The walls have eyes and ears she knew, even these trees and flowers could be hiding snakes. It wouldn’t be surprising if tomorrow she woke up to reprimands.

“I don’t care anymore, Adam.” How many months had it been? Only fingers brushing during visits to laboratories, secret smiles at royal audiences… life was kinder at the Levin University, but that time has long passed. They were now trapped in the Senate’s game, lovers hiding in the facade of a queen and a very loyal scientist. “As if I’d let them take you.” The Queen could grant pardon, that was true, and a publicly known one couldn’t be overturned by the Senate… although the problem would be the charges that could be brought against Adam.

“The children… they are finally starting to walk unassisted.” Ah, her beloved Cain and Abel… how she wished she could see their development. For now, she was content with Adam being her eyes and ears, but for how long could she bear being apart from them?

“Have you ever thought of running away? We could take the children with us.”

“It would be treason,” Adam lamented, as if remembering his mother’s fate. Even in the darkness of Eden’s garden, she saw it, fear and sorrow and in the depths of his eyes, despair. He was trapped to this fate, but maybe she could still get him out. And they and the children would then live in happiness and freedom.

“I’m the most powerful witch in this world. I can get us out… if you cooperate with me.”

“I… if it’s you, I— yes, I trust you.”

“Remember Held’s forest?” The mere mention of that name was called heresy. But if it was the Queen who said it, would it still be a crime? “We would be safe there… just a few more years, let the children grow up, and we will all escape from here.” She had abandoned the god of the earth, but maybe, just maybe, he would take her back to safety. Even if it could only be the children. Even if they never learn to call her ‘mother’, as long as they were freed, she would be happy.

Adam held her hand. “I wish I could find a way before that… but the children are starting to scare me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes they look at me, and it feels like they’re no longer human.”

Just how much has the project tampered with her twins? Sadly, Adam wouldn’t know that for he was demoted from being project head, losing it to Professor Twiright. She leaned against him, and hummed a lullaby, “Lu li la, lu li la…” hoping it could reach her children’s dreams.

“I love you.” Forbidden words. “Ever since the coronation, I wasn’t able to say it, but Eve, always remember that I love you.”

“I love you, too, always.” Forever. “Even after our deaths, I will.”

A light came out from somewhere, and they both startled. It was a new moon, and the stars weren’t out, the skies were overcast with clouds, and their guesses were right when they saw a guard approaching them with a torch. “Your Majesty…!”

Eve quickly stood up and placed her palm on the guard’s forehead. “Sleep and forget, Noah.” Noah fell to the ground unconscious, and Eve snapped her fingers to summon a wind that put out the torch. Can’t have the garden going out in flames.

“I think we should retire for the night…”

“Agreed.” And she gave him a parting kiss.

* * *

Eve took a route which wasn’t illuminated by anything, hoping to sneak in to her chambers using the long winding corridors.

“Did you just escape your prayer duties,  _ Her Holiness _ ?” A voice spoke from the shadows.

“Gabriel,” she gritted out.

The figure stepped out of an alcove, and laughed condescendingly. He was a middle-aged man, a stubborn conservative, although less stern than Michael and less loud than Raphael. A silent snake, and he somehow reminded her of a certain scientist with a malicious glint in his eye. “That’s  _ Senator  _ Gabriel, even to you, Your Majesty.” He wasn’t the first Gabriel, the names of the Senators were passed from generation to generation, and so she found no reason to humor him who hid behind another’s legacy.

“I wasn’t feeling well. Now, begone, I’m going to retire to my chambers.”

Gabriel matched her pace as she walked. “Are secret trysts in the garden now a form of medicine?”

Eve halted, and looked at the senator in shock. She should have known, but this was the first time they had openly confronted her outside of Senate meetings.

Her hand sparked with magic, intent on hypnotizing him, but he took her hand before she could and nudged her to walk back to her chambers. “Maybe we should consider having research funded for that, what do you think?” Soon they had reached her room, and then Gabriel bowed before leaving. “The Senate knows all, Your Majesty.”


	7. Who am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the painful memory in the snow, a false doll-daughter reflects upon her life... and on her relationship with the theater's master, the eternal witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same continuity as the Queen Eve AU but I'm too lazy to use brain cells to try and write Lust/Gluttony/Pride/Sloth/Envy arc... so here is Grath/Theater arc.

She was the Master of the Hellish Yard once.

But the title held no meaning, not anymore. Here she was, powerless and unable to walk out of her own power, her doll-vessel’s left eye busted and her true magic sealed. After witnessing that sad memory in the snow, she had told the man to shoot her too (because their fate was her fault), but because she was just a soul inhabiting a doll, she was also unable to die. The three of them laid still in the snow, the male assassin, the witch with a bounty, and a broken clockwork doll. And then the witch woke, and she had screamed and wailed over the dead man’s corpse—her lover.

She felt her doll-vessel be carried, and it was strange to be powerless even though at least three centuries had passed to be accustomed to it. The former master of hell found herself brought into the theater’s actual theater. <<Not the clocktower?>>

The one who carried her, Eater Sabella, a former spirit turned death god, only shook his head. They were acquaintances a world ago, and she also knew his partner, the jerk Lich. They never got along back then, but Lich had been more amicable to her ever since she got trapped in the doll, a bit.

“My Lady seeks your company.”

The doll was seated next to the witch, who was watching a movie play. She knew the film by heart; the theatre’s master, the eternal witch, played it over and over. The doll wondered why, when the movie only showed lies: the fall of the Magic Kingdom Levianta because of an evil temptress who deceived her way to the throne.

<<Why?>>

The witch answered, “He’s alive there somehow…” She soon found herself in the sad gaze of the theatre’s master, “But anyhow, I’ve always been meaning to ask something, Levia.”

<<What is it?>>

“Why are you helping me collect my fragments?”

Why was she helping the witch anyway? The doll didn’t know. This woman was a heretic, an insolent bitch, her mother, Ma, a queen… who was this woman to her anyway? Eve, Eve, Eve, pain in the neck bitch,  _ Mother _ . <<Why haven’t you destroyed my soul yet?>>

“Mmmm…”

The true reason was because she loved her. She didn’t know why, but there were only two people—two souls to blame for her weakness. During Merrigod, even way before that, there was an insidious girl trying to wrestle control of her body: Cain. And then Eve’s fragment in the doll. Both loved the witch, and at some point she had forgotten who was which and who she was.  _ Who am I? _

Eve scooped up her doll body and placed her on her lap, “I thought we could make it out this time.” She was referring to Adam, the bastard son of the previous prophet queen she and her brother manipulated.  _ Her father _ . They had manipulated him too, and her nonexistent doll heart ached, too. Cain loved him too. But then he was dead for real and Cain would have hated her for making her mother suffer again and she hated herself too, and she would kill—

_ Who am I? _

Where does Cain end, and where does Levia begin even?

Her dear mother sang a lullaby, and the doll presumed that she was fantasizing again. It was then her turn to play her role, <<I love you, Mama.>>


	8. The Price of Curses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a university in the Magic Kingdom, a witch born of the stars and a prince born of the moon had the misfortune of crossing paths. After all, the gods wouldn't allow such a pretty story to be written, for a witch is not a princess, and a prince thrown out would never be a prince even if he was a great scientist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> University AU, but still in OSS setting.  
> (based off on a #ManilaEncounters tweet)

This man had been haunting her—no, that was a very strong word, he didn’t deserve to be referred to with such intensity—more like following her all the damn time. Eve had expected isolation and worse from Leviantan society, but this one, being hounded by a man who she had the misfortune of being her classmate...she absolutely didn't.

"Miss Zvezda, do you know how to put a curse on someone?" For his mother's killers, he said. He wasn’t even sure if they killed her, and still. Ah, Leviantans. Greedy bastards who selfishly utilized magic for their own ends...not knowing that it has a price on the world.

"Is that really how you see us from Heldogort? Curses and all that? You shamelessly ask for our help only when it suits you only to denigrate us after... You disgust me." And so that moonlit night, she whispered to the winds, prayed to the forest, and cursed the moon:  **Let him know the pain of losing someone he loves most in the world.** He lost his mother once, he definitely should have known the pain of inflicting that on someone else.   


 

Eve woke up in the infirmary, head still heavy and mind cloudy. "What happened...?"

"Hey, you need to rest..!" Ugh, it was him again. Adam. "You fainted and..."

Huh? She then felt her lungs seemingly constrict, and a bout of coughing soon followed. A lot of coughing. The hand covering her mouth came away with blood. "Wh-what?"

Adam gently wiped the blood away from her face and mouth. By the bedside were a lot of bloody rags. "What, what sickness is this? It's getting bad. We should take you to the hospital, the Institute, anywhere…”

“I am  _ not  _ sick,” she insisted. But he waved off her words as if she was delirious. “There must be some mistake.”

“You were unconscious for the past week, I brought you here when I saw you fall down in the library.”

“What.”  _ Don’t look at me with such patronizing eyes _ . “I was—” Another fit of coughing. And chest pains and headaches. She could feel the strength leaving her, replaced with an all-consuming desire to just sleep… Sleep, and rest and hope the pain dies down. Ah, her eyelids are getting heavy.

“E-Eve?!” Adam was warm, he wasn’t soft like a pillow but it was manageable. His voice seems to...are they even words now? What a bother…

“I—” And then the pain came back just as she was drifting off. Her head felt like burning.  _ Held, Held, gods, help me! _ Clenching her teeth could only help her hold out for so long, and she let out a scream that burns her throat.

Adam only holds her tighter, rubbing circles on her back that don’t do anything to soothe the pain. He also wipes the corner of her eyes as he shushes her, and she’s thoroughly ashamed of being this vulnerable in front of the man she despised.

“L-leave me alone,” she managed to croak out.

“I’m staying here. You’ll be alright, soon. Right?”

He was very wrong. This kind of incomprehensible suffering could only be the product of a curse. “There’s no cure.”

“You’re lying. You’re the best witch in the country.” What part of NO does he not understand? “You can do anything.”  _ Anything _ . She was so good at it she couldn’t even think of a way to undo her death.

“Just let me sleep.”

“Eve, no. Please. Hey, talk to me. Eve, how much longer?"  _ Why are you crying?  _ “This isn’t—this isn’t terminal, is it?”

“Hah…”  _ What have I done? _


	9. Of Demons and Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most terrifying demons are not those with horns and tails and monstrous wings, they are those who take the form of what and who you want most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm calling this Phantom AU for now until I could think of something better. Wow, second-person is hard to write.

Your husband went out again. Off to see one of his mistresses definitely.

You weren't allowed in his room, after _that_ confession of yours. You could almost see the gears turning in his head back then, _Freak,_ he must have called you. Still, he was out, and you take this opportunity to clean his room. You sit on the bed, wondering how many other women he took there.

A glow from the bedside dresser disturbs you, and in your curiosity you open it to see a golden key hidden there. “Why would Kaspar own a thing like this?” You touch it, as if it you were a sailor helpless to a siren’s song. As soon as your fingers feel the metallic cold, a phantom appears before you.

You suddenly remember a warning, **Demons would appear as the person you desire to see the most**.

— _It_ was wearing _his_ face.

He takes your hand gently, a feather’s touch somehow carrying the intensity of a lightning strike, and calls you _ <<My beloved>>_

You take a step back, or rather, crawl away as far as you could. _Lord Held, what have I done?_

The phantom, no—demon, the demon’s face, that borrowed face, contorts into a look of sadness your husband would never wear, and his eyes— _its_ eyes, hold so much sorrow your heart clenches.

“Y-you must have mistaken me for someone else,” you manage.

_ <<Maybe so>> _

The dejected response triggers a pang of guilt and cold fear in you, and you try to remedy it. “Wh-what’s, uhm, what’s your name? I’m Margarita.”

The phantom smiles, _ <<You shouldn’t just give strangers your name so easily, my lady. Names are powerful>> _ Frau Flohn would scold you if she knew what you are doing at this moment. The thing in front of you crosses its arms as if deep in thought, and then says, _ <<I’ll tell you when the time comes>> _

“...When?”

_ <<Next time, Margarita, when you come see me of your own free will>> _

For some reason, your name on his tongue sounds all kinds of wrong. It _is_ your name, but, it gives you an unpleasant feeling similar to that of being ignored. “Hey…!”

 _ <<I’ll be waiting here always>> _And he disappeared.

_Gods._

You hope to Held that you hadn’t just sold your soul to a demon. And if you hadn’t done that already, you wish that you will not, ever.

You exit your husband’s room, and you take the key with you. It wouldn’t do if your husband suffers from a demon’s malice, would it? You are an ever-loving and faithful wife, and you are doing this for his safety.

You ignore how the golden key seems to become warmer in your grip. It’s just your Sleepless playing cruel tricks on you.


	10. ...Just Like Old Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes by so quickly, and before she knew it, things have changed between the three of them. And the thought of change makes her hope, dream, fear, and despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern University AU, where everyone, and by everyone I literally mean everyone (maybe except Ma), exists.

Eve had been giddy since last night. It has been weeks since she hung out with Adam and Meta, and with them not being classmates or blockmates anymore, seeing them today felt like a miracle. Especially since Adam, who had the same major as her, was always busy. They studied in the same building, but for the past weeks, they have never really crossed paths. It was Meta who had classes in a faraway building who she had seem more frequently, with Eve eventually joining a few drinking sessions with Meta's friends. Finals week was approaching, and the three of them finally agreed on studying together in the library like old times. She fixed her twin tails and twirled in front of the mirror, wanting to look her most presentable. She put on a layer of lip balm, to moisturize her chapped lips and definitely not attempt at being pretty. Just like old times, her brain insisted.

She saw Meta just as she was climbing up the stairs to the university library, and Eve broke out into a smile. Meta placed her arm around her, just like old times, and Eve leaned into her warmth. She had the slightest inkling of a kiss pressed into her hair, but gods, that was most likely her imagination. 

"It's been a while, huh?"

"Yes,"  _ I missed you _ , she wanted to say, just like old times, but didn't. It felt different,  _ new  _ and  _ wrong _ and  _ scary _ .

"Let's go. The poor guy must be a nervous wreck by now that we still hadn't shown up," Meta said in between soft and charming chuckles. No wonder Hansel and Gretel calmed down with her singing. Meta held her hand tightly and dragged her to the library entrance, dragged—because she was not being herself today. Eve knew that these were just like old times, but there was something else and she could have sworn that Meta's hand was not this warm back then.

And just like old times, they had immediately found Adam. She knew him from afar, she always could, always, always,  _ always.  _ And it had always surprised her why people kept on misnaming him—Karchess, Carlos, Kaspar... the list goes on. But Adam was Adam, she knew. He wasn't a hot-blooded guy, a cheater, or what. He was…

"Eve," Meta's hold on her tightened. "Adam grew to become sociable, huh?"

Adam was sitting in a table with a lot of people: a blond boy who seemed more interested in playing with knives than studying, a woman who's somehow snuck in a red cat, and many others. Their  _ friend  _ was there talking animatedly to a pretty green-haired woman, with a very familiar enthusiasm she knew from him going on about chemical bonds, just like old times. She knew the girl, everyone did: Margarita Felix, the doctor's daughter. Very rich. Unlike her. And she knew that expression on her face, too. It was something she was all too familiar with:  _ admiration _ .

It might have been too late, but Eve had realized that she was just like her. That she was like that before. Her eyes had shone a little too brightly, maybe her cheeks tinted with more than the sun's heat would normally cause. And no one had noticed, not even herself. If she didn’t know any better back then, how could she blame them? She had absolutely no right to. Not when she had let all the opportunities given to her pass by.

"Are you considering becoming a doctor, Adam?" the girl asked in a tiny, irritatingly bashful voice.

"I... I haven't really thought of that." He had more confidence in his answers, but he still had that slight tremble of uncertainty in his voice and the expected flush from being asked a question, a remnant of old times. It was still him, and yet, he was not exactly how she remembered him to be. What had happened all those weeks, when he was utterly out of reach?

Eve removed her hand from Meta's grip. "I forgot something at the dorm, I'll probably study there then, too. I just remembered we have free lunch for the week."

Meta may have let out a surprised gasp, but that could have been her traitorous imagination, too. She just kept on walking away. "Hey, Eve!" She ignored her, her shouts becoming softer in the distance. "Adam, you ass—!!" She heard Meta's angry footsteps grow even farther away.

It was a very petty move, one born of a very petty reason, she knew. But part of her hoped that they'd both run after her, just like old times. That they'd want to get her attention back, that maybe, they wanted her company after all. Just like old times.

—But then, what she had really wanted...maybe, was to not go back to that routine of keeping blushes and deeply held secrets carefully hidden in between laughs and embraces. The three of them had been  _ just  _ friends, after all.


	11. Moonlit Prank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't listen to the devil whispering in your ear, they say, lest you be led astray.
> 
> A demon trying to protect you from your prince, how laughable. (And yet you may wonder, who even is the evil one?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phantom AU continuation.
> 
> I...may or may have not forgotten where I was going with this.

_ <<I’ll be waiting here always>> _ your friend told you. At first, you were apprehensive, and you have every right to be. Didn’t Frau Flohn tell you to be wary? Of men and demons alike, although she might have said once that there was no difference.

…Were you really this lonely? You never really did have friends outside of Kaspar, and right now, you were quite sure he never saw you as that.

The door to your bedroom creaks, and you find the artificial darkness resulting from undrawn curtains welcoming. You sit on your largely unused bed as if to rest, but the exhaustion of not being able to sleep never goes away. “Ar-are you there?”

_ <<Mm>> _

You take the key hidden under your pillow, and sigh in relief that your theft has not been discovered. Wait. That can’t be right. You’re not a thief. You just borrowed it from your husband. Isn’t his property also yours by extension? You’re not a thief.

 _ <<I thought you weren’t coming back>> _ the phantom said in a sad voice.

“Well, I—aren’t we friends?” you reason, and you move a bit to make space for him to sit beside you. Your first meeting…definitely wasn’t a foundation for friendship.

The phantom’s face is hard to make out in the almost nonexistent lighting—the golden glow given off by the key. But you know whose exact face he was wearing. Still _him._   _< <Friends, huh?>>_ The phantom smiled, and you wished that he did, too. _< <_ _Oh right! We exchanged names! >>_ No, you didn’t; he refused to give you his name even though you offered yours. _< <_ _I could work with that >>_

“Am I the only one who can see you?”

 _ <<Yes, you could say that>> _  He moves to take your hand, stopping just as yours is within reach. _< <_ _Can I? >> _

You let him, and the phantom’s hand feels warmer and much more alive than yours.

Lips brush against your knuckles, and he whispers against your skin, _< <_ _I’m sorry for last time >> _

Your heart skips a beat, and you try to ignore the memory of happiness welling inside you as you snatch your hand away. You are  _not_ Kaspar. “It’s… it’s nothing.” You are not like _him_ —

A woman’s giggling interrupts your unpleasant thoughts. The sound was from outside, and it grows closer and closer with each set of footsteps. Kaspar is home.

His face darkens. _< <_ _Off you go now, to your very horrible husband >> _

“I think it’s better being out of his sight for now.”

His eyes widen in surprise for split-second, you almost missed it, before settling into a calm deep blue. _< <We have more time to be with each other then>>_ he says in a cheerful tone that melts into an infectious laugh. He twirls the key in his palm, the glint of gold inciting a morbid kind of curiosity that devolves into a chill up your spine. He inches closer to place the key in your hand, and whispers as if sharing a secret not even the winds should hear, _< <_ _This is Grim the End. Shavings made from it is a powerful poison >> _

What? “It’s…? Why are you telling me this?”

The phantom grins against your neck. _< <_ _Friendly advice >> _


	12. Star-crossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bastard ex-prince turned scientist, a terrorist hiding in the shadows, and a foreign witch soon to be Queen; three lovers caught in the machinations of a corrupt kingdom, the gods, and a snake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a fork of the Queen Eve/Apocalypse AU: in which starlit bear tries to navigate the challenges of Eve's road to queenship.

He hastily untangled himself from her embrace, hairs standing up on his neck at the sensation of being watched. The head scientist of Project Ma with a wanted criminal? His reputation would once again be in tatters. If that happens, Eve's life might even be in more danger, or in the best case, all the blame would fall on him, and she would be spared. But then, what about the witch of Merrigod?

"Adam, save her, please," Meta begged. “No matter the cost.”

"I will, I promise," he replied with certainty. They both knew the dangers and deceit of the Magic Kingdom, and to let their lover fall headfirst into its trap was an unforgivable crime. He placed a quick kiss on her wrist, and looked around once more.

Meta tensed. "Shit, I need to leave." She put back her dark red hood over her head, and disappeared into the darkness. He found in his lab coat's pocket a marigold; Eve would love it as a present.

He took a familiar route, a secret entryway into the palace he well knew from his childhood, not bothering to put his cloak back on in his excitement.

.   
  
"Adam, you're back!" Eve wrapped her arms around him in glee, as if forgetting that he shouldn't be in the Ma Candidate's chambers. She saw the flower in his pocket, and took it excitedly. "Ah, you met with her? I’m almost jealous,” she said, pouting.

He leaned his forehead against hers, before playfully pinching her cheeks, eliciting a cute huff.

"You'll see her soon, I promise.”

Eve twirled the flower over and over in her hands, smiling all this time, and yet exuding sorrow, “You know, it's like I can feel her with us in this room… but is there really no other way? How long before I see her with my own eyes again? Waiting  _ here  _ is so painful, Adam; I can’t even stroll around with all those people watching me."

“Just a little more, Eve. Once you become Queen, you'd be able to grant any criminal pardon. And then the three of us would be together once more."

Eve giggled once more, and a wave of calm washed over Adam.

.

The devil spoke to him, just as he had left her embrace, "Mr. Moonlit, being a threat to the future Queen's purity is a crime, you know? You should be very well aware of your mother's prophecy. And consorting with a criminal, another witch... Wouldn't that be such a scandal?"


	13. A Farcical Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He loves his wife. Very, very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grimswap AU

He remembered an intense pain in his right hand, as if he just punched someone. But there were no signs of redness or even brokenness and god, he's not the one with medical knowledge here, his wife was.

"Kaspar...?" a worried voice called out. He stood up from his bed, too quickly that his vision blacked out for a second.  ...How long had he been asleep? The owner of the voice, a beautiful teal-haired woman, put her hand on his back to prevent him from tumbling over the bed's edge. She was... she was—

"I missed you." Overcome with tears, he hugged his wife tightly.  _...Why? _ It felt like...forever since he last saw her. “I love you, I love you so much, I’m so sorry.” He wanted her assurance, her company, just  _ her _ . "Eve." Wait. What the fuck...?! He did  _ not  _ just call his wife by a different name.

His wife seemed to ignore his blunder, returning the embrace. "Shhh, I'm here, I'm here... I'm not going to leave."

The golden key that fell off the bed seemed to glow ever so slightly. He glared at it, feeling a wave of inexplicable hatred. His wife, noticing his fixation on the thing, picked it up.

"No." He tried to take it back from her, but she wouldn't budge. It was dangerous.  _...Huh? _

His wife only smiled, but it sent a shiver up his spine. "I think I can take care of this..."

She really shouldn’t be touching  _ that _ thing. Something bad will happen, he knew it, felt it.

"...Grim the End."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyy confession time! The true root of this AU is just the sheer desire to have Adam and Margy meet in Sloth arc because they were *this* close, and most importantly, to have Adam punch Kaspar. Yeah, that's right! In this 'intro' to the Grimswap AU, we start off with Adam!Kaspar remembering punching someone (Kaspar, in the inner psychological world thing or mental plane, whatevs) but forgetting he stole Kaspar's body! YAyyyy


	14. A̠̹ ̭̩̫̤D̟̫̞̣͙i̧̮͔̝̹s̺͓̗o͉̖̳̩r̰̩̝͉̬͜d̰͔̺e̶̜̩r̖̯͎͇͎͖̩e̫̯̪͎̬͖ͅd͠ ̮͟S͈̙̺̙c̶̦͔̰̗̫ͅe̵̼̩̝̝͍͚n̥͉͘a͕͙̞̜̝̰͠r̰i̭̩̳͍̣͍o̫̻̩̟̲͞

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Kaspar, today was just a normal day in the Blankhenheim home.
> 
> As normal as it can get from him passing out yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grimswap AU; a fork wherein Margarita doesn't remember

Margarita was concocting some p͓̟̱͙͔̋̐́o̱ͭ̌t̵̠̼̻̣̰ͣ̓̃ͭį̦̬̜̥̝̔o̴͈̻͔͕̬̰͑̿ǹ̹̉ͯs͊͊͠, er, medicine in the basement. She didn't even bother to wake him up, maybe thinking that he needed rest from...whatever happened yesterday. Mistaking his wife's name, that was embarrassing. Out of all the women he'd been with, no one resembled her even though they were all Elphes.  _ Who was E̴̛̤̲̙͉̤̳͎̖̙̥͆ͨ̐͋ͬͯ͋ͭͧͦ̇̆̿̚͝ͅvͥͤͩ̾̇͌͒͑ͧͬ̍ͣ̍͒ͥ̄̈́ͣ҉͚̬͍̣͚̩̰͎̼e͋̏ͮ̄̃ͮ͛̈̽̆̄̽͑̓ͭͩ́̚͢͡҉̵̭͙̝̪̻̜̙͢ͅ? _

F̳̀͂͑͡u͖̺̫̫̰͂f̴̜̲̣̙̞͚̑ͥu̦͇͑́̆ͪͮͬ͛,̞̮͉ͬͫ̄ ̻̱͖̀̂͒͆͛ͣ͠w̨̙̤̰̓̓͂̽̓̒̄h̙̆ͬͧͪ͝o̢̯̠̍ ̳̼̩͐ī̵̻̜͍̣͙s̿ͫ ͖͙͔̣̖̳̃͗̅̎ͥM͎͚̳͚͖̓́ͦͦͅi̘̲͞s̲̆̀̓̽ͣ͐͑s͇̤̦̪͎͙͖ͨͥ̈ ̯͚̫͖̫Ẻ̺͔̉̃ͬͦ͟v͓͎̝͈ͤ̒̾ͨ̋̑ȅ̥ ̖̹ͫͯ̒̽Ź̐҉͈̝̺̖͉̙v̺͍̙͍̱ͬ̋̿́ͫͮȅ̤z̹̼̞̙ͪ̓͗̒͛͑̈͡d̵̞̟̞̪̖̊͐ͣ̔̓a̝̳̪̯͎͗̂͗ͥ?̐ͦͬͧ

He walked toward her as quietly as he could, curious to know how she spent her time alone. She was humming quite happily, and even with her back to his he knew she was smiling. Margarita yelped in surprise when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, "K-Kaspar...?!"

A͞w̦̜̝ͤ̈͒ͪ̊,͙ͪ͒͛̒ͤ̚ ͓̲̏̉ͥ͂͆A̴̘̬ͥ̐͑͆̍d͚̬ͭͪ̎͌̈̆ͫ̕a͓̼͉̠̼ṁ̧̖͈̪̣̔̓͗.ͯ͐҉̤

The name grated on his ears, but he didn't know why. It was his name, gods be damned. "What are you doing?" She was cold to the touch, but that didn’t matter. He missed her. Missing his own wife, how sappy.

H̵̻̜o͉̩̠͈͊̍̔͊͢w̎̍͋̔͊ ͏̺̳s͆҉͍͕w̤̗͕ͩ͜e͓̞̯͚̲̞̕ě͙̯̻͕̥͕̂̓ͪͅt̖̲̦̖̥̜̘̍ͫ̽́̔ͨ~̺̦͕̦̰̌

"M-medicine, to help you feel better." He didn't know shit about medicine, especially herbal medicine. All those leaves and things are foreign entities, he never had to deal with them while specializing in chemistry...  _ W̑̾ͭ̓̿̊h҉̫̠͈̣̭a̬̘̰̞̎͊̉̓ͮ͆ͅt̤͈?̶̯ _

Aͫ͏̭͖d̬͎͙͑̅ͦ͛͗̔̒a̴ͧ͆̐̍̋̚a̠͚̙̿͟ȁ̴̋a̪ͤ̏ͯ͌ả̺ͮ̅̍̂̄ͪa̬̚ạ̱̹̻̏̋m̡̮̗͍͖̠̦ͥͩ̊̅ͫ̚.͉̣͓̰̲̹ͧ̆͆̒͂ͅ

"Have you tried synthesizing chemicals?" What nonsense was he blabbering? "Maybe that way you'd not have to find all these exotic plants. That's how I formulated V—"

**V̳͎̲̝̱͍̞ͤͩͨ̕e̵̥ͥ͐ͯͭ̔ͨͣͅṅ͚̼͍̹̍̅͋͐ȍ̈́̈̽ͬ̽ͫ͏͚̠͈̦͉̗̝m̛̙̱̩̭͙̗̯̰̎̆̀.̴̰͈̗͋ͤͨͯ̈ͬͤ͛** ̛͖ͯͨ̾̇͘Vͥ̑̌ͤ̃͏̹͈̺̝̳̼͞ȩ̵͔̱̘̖͈͌ͫ̓̉ͤ̂ͮn̂ͬ̊͐̆̎͗̊҉̸̶͎̳̤̹̺͖̦̠o̢͇͍̤͙͎̪͂̽̽̃ͮ͡ͅͅm̸̹͈̖͒̊̿̈́,̪̺̞͖̯͎̖̗̈́̎̂͗ͤ̚ ̩̪̳̪͚̗̹̍͌́̍̈̾͑͒̀ͅh̛̥͙͎̺̱̮̘ͯ̇͆ͥ̆ͧ̕ǎ̫̪̟̔͗v̸͍̺̜̆ͭ͜ͅe̶̡͎̦̝̒ͭ̒̆ͅ ͩͩ͛́ͣ̽̌҉͚̻̠͓͔̟͘͡y̙̩͂̆̇͂ͭ̔ŏ̢̖͎͚͉̣̞̣̈̓̾͛ͥ̓̆̂͘͡ủ̆ͬ҉̫̮̝̟̞̠̞ ̮̫͉̖̰̹͖͙̎̓́̐ͯͫ̿ͣͅf̫̳̻̫͇̦̭̩̀̉ͩ̀͌̏ͩͦơ̡͕̘̼͈̱͕̓ͣ̾͐ͦ̈́r̵̸̲̜̮̫̮͙̟̟ͭ̆ͣ͑ͤ͋g̖̙͇͕͔̝͒̎͐ͮ͂ͧ̀̍o̡̡̻͈͆̔͞ͅt̞̮̤͇͉̭̫̝ͣ͘t͍̲̜͍̤͎ͩ̇ͦ͆͛̋̈e͉̩͕͈͓̎ͥͫͥ̎̏̐̀̕n̲͒́̒̈́ͣ̎̈́?͈̘̪͚͛̾ͫ̔͗̈́̚

"What...?" Margarita paused in her work.

Ą̥̬̙͕ͣ̐d̜͇̜̼̦̭ͦ̾̒̋ͅâ͒̂͌ͩ̏͛m͖͖̝̟̩̤ͨͮ̾͗ͬ,̠̰͕͔̩̍̎ͭͣ̈́̆͜ ̧̞dͥ̈ͤo͏̦̬̖̣̻̦͔n̗͙͚̻̗̬͂ͫ̔ͨ͂̈̌͡'̶͇͖͚̤̳t̟͚ͩͦ ͛ͯ̾͒̓ͫͨ͏̼̹̙̝̲t̜͔̍̌̇̓̂́͛ȇ̹̑͑ͦ̒͢lͤͣ̍ͫ̅ͣ̅҉̩͈̖̦̗ͅl̸̫̮̤̘̬̙̳͛ͤ ̎̽͋̾̂̏͋m̞̹̬̣͎̓e̯͖̖̺͉̫̰̚ ͈͎̜̳́͒͒̔y̗̞̬̋ͭ͒̈́̐ͥͤo͉̘̒͗̉u̪͓̖̞͆͐͞ ̲̰̼̐̋ͨͬͫa̱̻̦̒̿ͩͩr̵͙̮̭͙ḙ̀͋ͤ̌͑͑̓ ͈͖̆̈̾ͬ̆̑n̻̍̀ͣ͐ͨ͂ͬo̮̼ͣ̈́̎͌̀̍w͔͝ ͎̭̪͑å͔̖͓̝͕̩͕̅̈̉̒̓s͎h̞͔̲̺͙̓a̪̘̝̎m͎ͩͪ͂͆͐ͅe̞ͥͣ͋ͪ̍ͦ̚d͉̥̯̂̄̈́ͯ͗̍̀ ̦̬̱͖ͫ̆̊̽̈ͣo̜͍̦̦ͥ͞f̶̳̳̪̺͍̤͎ ̧͍ͮ̒̀͐́y̮̹͎͇̹̓̄̍ó̩̦ͦ͑ͯ̇͑͛u҉̺͇̘r̢͚̭̯͎̹͌̄ͯ̋̇̊ ̻̦͚̥̈́̾̋̽̈́͢g̪͈͔͔̩̲̝̍̾r͔̮͇̗͈̱̬e̲̜͕͙̪a̤͓̩̻̎͊́͆̂ẗ̥͎̯̽́͂̎̿e̯̙̪̝̳̬ͥs͖͉̪̽̓̒ͯ̓͛̋t ̷̼̼̞͖̟̲̜̄ͯ̓̓͒m͔̭͚̦̘̘̿̃̓̋ạ̶̝̏ͨͨs̛ͮ̓ͫ̃t͉̓̇̋̐e̺͉̒̀ͣ̇͋͋ŕ̟̖͎̘̙͈ͭͨp͈͍͙ͤ̅̒͠i̸̪̫ẽͭ̀͊̏̈͏c̛͔̠͉̖͓̐e̜̝͕͕̦̟̅ͧͧ͋̑̕.̧̭̀̐́ͅ

"Do you need help?"

His wife seemed to light up, and leaned back against him. "Are you sure?" her hopeful voice rang.

"Just tell me what to do," he replied with a smile. She instructed him on what to do, and lightly scolded him to stop when he feels like blacking out again. He wished things were like this, like they once were,̺i̎ͯ͂̾ͅn̹̫̯̒̽ ̡̘̺̖̦̩̻͑t͇̱̼̼̣ͣ͊̎̋̊h̟̖͓͗̐͗ͅͅa̘̤̩̮̣t̳̹̼̣͓ͧ̄ͥ̇̚ ̈́ͦ͂f̙̩͎̾ͫ̌̄̐ȍ̰̿́̾̋ͦ̒r͙̙͘e̻͍̩͇̞̖̳͑̿̔ͨ̑͠s̭͆͒͆̌ͥͯt̷͕̆̂.̫̼̬̦̲

"I love you," he whispered after a stolen kiss from the corner of her lips. His wife was blushing like mad. How endearing. "Eve."

Ĥ͇͗̎ͮ̎ͤ́̔̚͘͜ȃ͉̮̝ͫ̄̽͢͞ ͔͔̆̌ͪ̆̈ͣ̋͜͠h̬̹̗͗ͮ̂̏̅ͮͭ͘ȃͦ̈́҉̵̻͇͕̤͇.̫̼͍̱̺͔̒̔̌͢

"I love you, too," she returned, shyly. "Kaspar."

**_Ȩn̦̦̺̼̼ͬ͗̓̓ͫͥ̏jͯ̑͂́ͤ̈́̌҉͇̱̬̺̣ͅo̰͚̬̤̻͈̜͆͆̂͞y̋ ̬̣̣͇̺̣̂̎͆ḭ̸ͦ̃t̷̗̅ ̵̦̇̅ͧ͗ͬ̓͑w̻̪̞h̨̬̽ͮ̓ͧ͐i̳̹͔̫̻̋͜ĺ̹͙̍̋ĕ̺̻͓̮̫̗ ͇̦î̺̺̮ͦt̩̲̲̹̠̮̝̅̎̏ ̶̤̥͚̮͉̳̄͑͗̉͗͂ͅḻ̣̜̯̗ͩ̾͊͗a̠̰̟̱͎sͯͦͩ̈̊̍̋͏̙t̤͖̓͊̇ͨ̐̎s̗̦͍̻̦̓̏̑̽,̯͈̮̪̠͊̎͌͘ ̵͍̖͈͈̊ͣ̋͂͋́A̵̦̅d̴̩ͥ͊̊a̞͚ͥṃ̠̇ͨ͗.̵̖̦͈͈̳̹ͯ̈́͗͊̂_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth's unholy commentary was the best part of this


	15. Meta Abs-olute Goddess of Action Salmhofer and a Sweet Barrio Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if Meta Salmhofer was the protagonist of a Philippine action teleserye?
> 
> The obligatory episode of waking up with wounds treated inside a nipa hut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AaaaAA eyyyyyyyy hopefully this would be amusing enough to serve as an angst break. (Adam's not here yet owo maybe I'll write that some other time lololol)

She wakes up to bright light, _whaaat_? Meta quickly gets up, well aware that she wasn't in her home and that her head and body is aching and ugh...it seemed that she was badly injured, her side well bandaged and covered with leaves, her six-pack abs still intact. Fuck, where even was she? "Shit, my leather jacket is nowhere to be found!"

"Oh, you're awake!" a soft voice called out. A girl. Actually, scratch that. A very pretty green-haired girl carrying a pile of laundry.

"W-where am I?"

"You shouldn't be moving around yet!" the girl scolded, "you're not yet fully healed..."

"May..." This barrio girl need not be involved in her legendary action escapades.

"...May."

"Uh, what's your name, miss?"

The girl blushed, "Eve." Eve then distracted herself by fixing the dressing of Meta's badass bullet wound with shaky hands.

Meta held her hands, a bit afraid of the accuracy of whatever herbal medicine thing Eve was doing with such nervousness. "Are you alright?"

"Um, I, uh," the girl stuttered.

Oh, wow, she's blushing even harder than before.

"Y-your leather jacket, I already washed it. I-if that's okay with you..."

Meta beamed. Her beloved jacket! "Thank you so much!"

"Yo-you're welcome!"

"What could I ever do to repay you, Eve?" She was very ecstatic; she was once again reunited with her trusty leather jacket. She wouldn't look awesome without it.

Eve averted her eyes and went redder, "Stay?" She then turned to her with what seemed like puppy eyes. "It's lonely here, and I need help with tending to my plants with all the uhm, bandits out there."

"Bandits?" How in the world did this fragile-looking girl even survive out here?! "Of course, I'll protect you."


	16. Love and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She is Meta Salmhofer, lover of Eve and Adam Moonlit, mother to two beautiful twins, and she was—
> 
>  
> 
> ...who was she?

Mornings. Meta doesn’t remember looking forward to mornings, not that she could remember much at all. She had hated it, regretted it, for how could she forget about their lovely mornings together? But Eve doesn’t like her frustrated, and so she thought that maybe this was a gift. With her memories gone, each morning was new, a fresh memory. Waking up to see Adam and Eve’s serenely sleeping forms was a blessing—she must have always been an early riser—each day bringing her excitement and hope and calm. “Ah,” she sighed. It’s been what? Months? And they still loved her, stayed with her, even while she was as helpless as a child lost in the forest. “I love you,” she whispered softly, a hand brushing Adam’s hair from his forehead, another holding Eve’s from where it wrapped around Adam’s torso.

“Hn… you’re awake?” Adam muttered, his hand entangling with hers, eyes and voice still half-drowned in the clutches of sleep.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He chuckled softly, as softly as he could hoping not to disturb Eve, but she didn’t worry. Eve had always been a heavy sleeper. Although she wished she’d been awake to hear her ah, confession. “It’s fine. She’s probably dreaming about you, too.” He looked over to his other side without moving much, where Eve was perfectly molded to his side, her steady breathing a calming melody. “About us.”

She flushed. “The children are going to wake up crying soon.” Her cute and beloved babies, Hansel and Gretel. Eve liked to dote on them, even when they frequently functioned as her alarm clock.

“There’s still time…” he trailed off, being sucked into the world of dreams once more. “Go back to sleep. Eve will be upset if you’re gone when she—”

“Yes, yes,” she conceded, settling under the covers again. She embraced him, trying best as she could to reach Eve, too. Ah, she loved them so much. Everyday with them and her children was bliss.

.

“Um, uh, do you need help with those?” she asked the teal-haired woman. Her lover, apparently.

The woman beamed, “Sure! I’ll teach you how to check if they’re ready for harvesting…” Right, just in case she had forgotten. Meta didn’t remember anything about gardening; she was fortunate enough to remember her own name.

The woman led her to the other part of the gardens, where spring onions grew—Very Amazing Green Onions, Eve would insist. Eve, that was her name. It was a very pretty name.

She awkwardly poked at the soil with a stick lying on the ground as her lover animatedly talked about plants and plant-related stuff, and… more plants.  Gods, it must have been a crime to forget about such an amazing woman.

“Why are there so many of these?” Meta asked, pointing to one of the green plant things over Eve’s shoulder—still those Very Amazing things—with her chin resting on her shoulder, fingers slightly brushing against Eve’s.

“I, uh, I— um, I like them,” the other stuttered. The tips of her ears were bright red.

“I’m sorry for forgetting.”

Eve replied in a tone dissonant to her cheerful disposition, eyes blank, but with an almost otherworldly glaze, “It’s not your fault.”

.

“You don’t have to do this,” the blue-haired man insisted.

“I insist. The two of you had been busy nursing me back to health, it’s the least I could do.” She took one of the spare axes and split the cut down log standing on the tree stump in half. “See? I could do it.” It was an easy task, it was as if her body had long been accustomed to using brute force.

Her other lover, Adam was his name, groaned. “Eve would scold me if she saw you working. You need to rest.”

“I’ve had enough of resting. I want to share in the work, too. Again. To make up for lost time.” She had to. They stayed with her even after all that. She needed to repay their kindness, their love, in any way she could. Wasn’t that how lovers were?

He looked away, a guilt-ridden expression on his face, which earned a giggle from her. “Just don’t overwork yourself.” And then they worked until they had chopped enough firewood to last them for a week, more than enough that they could peddle some in the nearest town.

“Let’s go back?”

“You’re right,” he heaved, probably from constant overworking. “Eve’s waiting for us for supper.”

Meta approached him to wipe the sweat on his forehead, startling him.

“Wh-what are you doing?” he blurted out as he stepped back nervously. Maybe he had been the shyer one? She doesn’t remember.

“You forgot a towel, so I just used the one Eve gave me before I left,” she nonchalantly explained.

His eyes darted everywhere but into hers, a slight tint forming on his cheeks. “A-ah— alright… Let’s not make her wait.” He shakily offered his hand to her, which she willingly took, and it pained her how his touch felt foreign, as if she had never once held hands with him before, or anyone for that matter.

But she tried not to show her distress. It wouldn’t to make them worry more about her. She had to show him and Eve and her children only her best, and definitely not troubled, self.

 

“Oh, you’re back!”

Meta felt invigorated just by seeing her smile, all exhaustion done away by her brightness. Her twins were soundly sleeping in Eve’s arms, unaware that their mother has returned. She momentarily placed down the kids in the makeshift cradle, hopping their way to kiss Adam.  _ And only Adam. _

“Let’s eat?” Eve asked as she tugged on her arm, a delighted smile on her face.

“S-sure.”

.

She can’t remember no matter how hard she tried. There was something missing, she knew. Something she was not privy to. Why,  _ why  _ couldn’t she understand them? Adam’s somberness whenever Eve held the children, Eve’s dull eyes and evasiveness at questions about Hansel and Gretel. She couldn’t even remember  _ her own children _ .

What had changed when she lost her memories? Was she actually just a burden?

(She had heard them discussing her sleeping and living arrangements the day she woke up. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought she was an unwelcome stranger in a couple’s house. But that couldn’t be right? They were lovers. There were just complications. Maybe she was not yet fully healed or recovered and they needed her to rest alone.

Maybe they had a fallout and they were trying their best to reconcile with her now. Ah, that was surely it.)

They loved her, they wouldn’t lie to her.

And for that, she loved them.

.

“What a beautiful moonlit night.” The comment freely left her lips, surprising even herself. Meta Salmhofer openly complimenting nature? That was probably Eve’s influence.

Eve hummed in agreement beside her, and then the babies did, too, but by giggling. Adam laughed as they wriggled in his arms; it was his turn to look after the kids tonight.

“Ah! I just remembered something!” Eve exclaimed, quickly standing to put on her black cloak. “I haven’t gone to Lord Held in a while!”

Adam also stood up immediately, startling Meta and even the babies. “No!”

“But Adam! I must thank Lord Held personally for our blessings, we are living in his good graces and in his forest. This is only appropriate.”

His expression was stern and grim, yet he still shushed the children as gently as he could between words to pacify them. “There must be some other time, tomorrow morning. Anytime. Not just tonight. It’s dangerous.”

Were they fighting?

“It would just be a short trip, I promise.”

“And I said no.”

“You are so insufferable!” Eve screamed. Oh gods. What is happening?

“Why wouldn’t you listen? Just this once. Just this once, Eve. Please don’t go out.”

“H-hey, I’ll go with her.”

“WHAT?!”

Meta placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder to calm him down, “I’ll go with her. I’ll protect her, I swear.”

“See!” Eve hooked her arm around Meta’s and stuck her tongue out at Adam. “I have a protector here. We’ll go now and you watch over the children, okay?”

As visibly angry and distressed he was, he still let out a not so half-hearted laugh at Eve’s childish antics. “Just go back soon. No detours, no anything. Return safely, to me, to us,” he instructed.

“That’s a given already, Adam!” And so they went on their way to the earth god.

 

Ah, the center of the forest. Eve quickly said her prayers and thanks to the giant tree—the god Held, and smiled at Meta as she reminded her of their promise to Adam. They walked hand in hand on the way back, Eve’s warmth a contrast to the cold night air as she leaned into her. It was Meta’s first time this deep into the forest, and she counted on Eve to lead the way back.

And yet… it felt as if she had walked this path before tonight. As if she had  _ ran _ .

The rustling of leaves elicited a loud shriek from Eve, making her jump and clutch tighter on Meta’s arm. Meta herself felt some surge of power, something familiar and primal, within her, as if something, another thing inside her overcome with the desire to protect Eve.

“Relax, it’s not like there are bears in here, right?” she comforted her, kissing her hair. Eve froze in her hold. “Eve?”

Eve recovered after a minute and shook her head, chuckling nervously. “Ah, ha, ha ha… yes, there couldn’t be  _ bears _ here… no…”

They continued walking, the house already a growing dot in the distance. Eve was still trembling beside her. “Eve, we’re near—”

Her words of assurance were cut off by Eve’s scream and wide terrified eyes and— what had just happened? There was a flash, a flash of something, something familiar… and  _ deadly. _ “Meta, are you alright, did the bear not hurt you?” Eve rambled on.

What?

“Meta?”

Just now, that was… that was a lightning bolt. And it didn’t come from the sky.  _ It came from Eve’s outstretched hand. _ Huh?

“Meta?”

This path, she had taken it before. A forest path of flowers.

“Meta?”

And she was a fugitive. Running away with her beloved children.

“Meta?”

They were at the house’s doorstep already. A  _ very _ familiar image. The end of a chase. She and her lover; she and the  _ woman in the woods _ —the woman who stole her children… and the woman who tried to kill her.

“You’re back!” a relieved voice called out. The owner of the voice, a man, was carrying two very familiar babies.

.

.

.

.

.

**“In the end, I still couldn’t be granted love, could I?”**

“Meta, come back! We can explain!”

“The children needs you, please, please… please don’t leave.”

Her children, her precious twins… they would be better off without someone unworthy of love. “Goodbye.”


	17. The Witch of Nemu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first candidate was a witch from Nemu village. Or so that was he had told them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the cult Eve headcanon building up on the Zvezdas inherited Held's powers or something, that they were worshipped in Nemu

He didn’t expect to be welcomed warmly into Nemu. Well, ‘warmly’ was an overstatement; he was neither looked at funny or kicked out. …Actually, they had looked at him in awe, confusion, and even amusement. Couldn’t blame them. After all, what was a scientist from the Magic Kingdom doing in such a small backwards village in Heldogort?

“Sir, aren’t you tired from just standing there?” A local asked, again. Adam sighed. He refused to sit on stones or tree stumps, all those things scattered around the village as if they had never heard of furniture. Yes, there were chairs, but it just so happened that he was on the side—a side, he didn’t even know how he called this small part of this small village worthy of being called a side—where the villagers liked their nature undisrupted. He resisted the urge to pick at the blades of grass and Levia-knows-what seeds or things clinging to the hem of his lab coat, if he did, he would be doing that for days.

Adam looked around once more. Nemu Village. Readings and what little historical texts there were claimed—that this was the place where there was an unusual concentration of magic… Possibly a remnant of the Magic Kingdom’s glory from when the heretic Heldogort was not yet in existence. The distant sound of singing and clapping and festivity reached his ears, and he wondered what would be a good enough reason to celebrate in this ugly, unindustrialized place.

He sighed again. There were no locals in sight to pester him. Why was he here again? Ah, some gut feel. Magic potential tended to run in blood, but even the scientists of the Royal Institute cannot find the origin of such magic-users, except by attributing them as a gift from the twin dragon gods. But he had a hypothesis: if Levianta was truly the bastion of magic, and the kingdom founded around the relic of the age of gods, then maybe, just maybe, that magic-users originated from the environment saturated by the gods’ magic—not that he actually believed in gods. Maybe a village, no matter how small and unimpressive, which crackled with magic would be able to produce even just one decent magic-user. He hoped Nemu could prove him right, preferably with a woman with strong magical potential.

“Praise and glory to our Lord Held!” “And us His children!”

…What. From the corner of his eye, he saw some sort of parade approaching. And the chants were getting louder. Oh Levia. They marched closer and closer, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to look away at this heresy. This was madness. Was this how the Held followers were?

It was all uncomfortable, and yet intriguing. The locals… they all seemed content with their lot. Accommodating even. But when asked if there were any magic-users here—for purely academic purposes, of course—they only smiled cryptically. Ugh, that was a ‘yes or no’ question.

“Blessed is the maiden of the stars!”

When in the world was there a maiden involved in this religion? Well, there was his mother, the prophet queen, but that wasn’t supposed to be something known to the outside world, much more to these people.

There was something off. Even as a disbeliever he felt it.

And there he saw it.

These villagers were worshipping a girl. Oh my. The people chanted and followed the girl who rode a slow donkey before them, some even holding the long veil worn by the girl so as not to let it touch the ground. Both the girl and the animal were adorned by small flowers, with the girl wearing a colorful crown of them on top of her veil. She had very long hair, a shade of green much more vibrant than the others. From this close, he saw that even though she wore a simple dress, she carried it with such elegance as if it was woven from the skies themselves—  _ wait, this close?! _

“I’ve never seen you before!” the girl exclaimed as she hopped off her mount. Her face was in his, teal eyes shining brightly like a child’s.  _ …She’s pretty. _ Pointing at finger at him, she asked her followers, “A new worshipper of me?”

Her what?!

“My Lady, you can’t just go on approaching outsiders.” Oh,  _ now _ he was an outsider. 

“He’ll taint you.” Wow. Just wow. He just found himself face-to-face with the leader-slash-goddess of whatever cult of Held this was. And her followers just called him…things.

The girl huffed and then glared at the one who spoke, and then changed her expression as fast as the wind, smiling at him, “Don’t mind them. What’s your name?”

“A-, uh, Adam.”

“Is it true that you’re from outside?”

“Yes.” Oh Levia. Now he had to deal with this girl who was obviously desperate to know about the outside civilized world.

She clapped her hands lightly and addressed the crowd who had come to a halt, 

“Ceremony’s over. Now go and serve our Lord Held.”

With faces marred by uncertainty, the crowd dispersed at her command, taking the ceremonial donkey with them. But a handful, the elderly, lingered and whispered to her, loud enough for him to hear — they probably wanted him to, “This one cannot be trusted.” “He’s an outsider, from Levianta. He’s up to no good.” “Look at him. There’s no way he would be honestly interested in our—”

“Stop telling me what to do. Leave.”

The wizened creatures clicked their tongues and left the two of them.

“Um.”

“Oh, right! Have you heard of me? Is that why you came to see me?”

What was in this girl’s head? “Yes. Of course. I came to see— no, I looked for you, the most powerful magic-user in this country.” He was getting better at this lying thing.

Her eyes shone even more. “I knew it!” She clasped his hands excitedly and continued, “I really am the best. Even Levianta knows it!” And she giggled, her veil almost falling off her head.

“Are you, are you really a magic-user?” The moment the words came out of his mouth, he had regretted it. So much for being good at lying.

“Why, yes. You said it yourself,” she said, laughing. She hadn’t noticed? “Were you that taken by me that you’re forgetting things? I haven’t even used my—”

“Your…?”

“Shhhh. It’s a secret. I’m not supposed to tell outsiders anything. And I can’t use my magic within village borders.”

_ Magic.  _ If this girl was the real deal, then he had scored a jackpot. So terribly naïve. She would be easy. “Can you show me? Your magic, that is.”

She crossed her arms and thought, her brows furrowing together. “I can’t go out of the village right now.”

“I’ll accompany you,” he offered.

“They won’t allow it.”

He cursed.

“But…”

“But?”

“I will be visiting Held’s Forest in three days’ time.”

“And?”

“I can use magic there, silly. I just said I can’t within the village.”

They worshipped her, and yet they disallowed her magic.  _ Why? _ “Why the Forest?”

“A pilgrimage. To give thanks to Lord Held and offer the village’s prayers. It’s discourteous to not visit your ancestor once in a while.”

“Ancestor?!” She seriously thinks… that a tree…

She laughed again, “Why? I’m Eve Zvezda, the last of our line, daughter of God!”


End file.
